Guidance for Evaluating Human Health Effects in Impact Assessment: Human Health Risk Assessment

This document provides generic guidance on the need for conducting a human health risk assessment (HHRA) in federal impact assessments (IAs) of proposed major resource and infrastructure projects in Canada (such as mines, dams, pipelines and other projects). It presents the principles, current practices and basic information Health Canada looks for when it reviews the impact statement or other documentation submitted by project proponents as part of the IA process.

The guidance is presented to support an efficient and transparent project review process. The foundational information described here should be supplemented appropriately with additional information relevant to proposed projects.

The guidance was prepared for the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) and stakeholders involved in the IA process to communicate Health Canada's standard areas of engagement and priorities to help ensure that sufficient evidence is available to support sound decisions.

As part of its review, Health Canada may suggest that the Agency, review panels or others collect information not specifically described in this document to assess the health effects of proposed projects. As the guidance provided here is generic and designed to support the IA process, the scope of Health Canada's review may also be amended to reflect project-specific circumstances.

This document describes, in Health Canada's opinion, best practices and approaches to HHRA. Still, as each project and its assessment are unique, not every best practice and approach described here may apply in every case.

Appendix A provides a glossary of specific terms used throughout this document.

Appendix B provides a checklist for verifying that the key elements of an HHRA have been completed and where this information appears in the assessment document.

Appendix C provides additional information about screening contaminants of potential concern.

Appendix D shows a graphic illustration of a conceptual site model.

Appendix E lists useful equations for estimating exposure and characterizing risk.

Appendix F presents human receptor characteristics.

Appendix G highlights the fundamentals of Health Canada's current approach regarding the evaluation of cancer and non-cancer health risks from exposure to chemicals, where health effects in an assessment are predicted to be related to chronic (or lifetime) and/or less-than-chronic (short-duration) exposures.